THE DAY JOB: “All of which has led me, through a painkiller-induced haze, to thinking about the differences between category fiction (what is often incorrectly called ‘genre fiction’–primarily speculative fiction, mysteries, and political thrillers) and the so-called ‘mainstream’ (including both ‘general’ and ‘literary’ fiction). The day job is a significant difference. The subject matter and ‘weight’ of category fiction tends to revolve around the day jobs of the characters. Cops and private eyes solve mysteries for a living, and are so depicted in fiction. Starship captains captain starships; they are seldom engaged in long journeys of self-discovery after leaving the office for the day. Conversely, the subject matter and ‘weight’ of mainstream fiction tends to happen after office hours–the long-smoldering affairs with the babysitter, the agonized boredom of the housewife, and so on. Of course, there is significant crossover in the better books, and significant exceptions.” (more)